The SIUE Arts & Issues program brings Joanne Shenandoah, one of America’s most celebrated Native American musicians, to its stage on Oct. 7. Shenandoah will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability on the SIUE campus.

Shenandoah has been nominated three times for a Grammy and won one in 2006 for her work on the album “Sacred Ground.” She’s won in total over 40 music awards, including 14 Native American Music awards, for her 18 recordings.

Her music ranges from a capella to full symphony and has been heard on hundreds of documentaries, films and music videos. Her original compositions combined with a striking voice enable her to embellish the ancient songs of the Iroquois using a blend of traditional and contemporary instrumentation.

Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist for The Band, noted that Shenandoah “...weaves you into a trance with her beautiful Iroquois chants and wraps her voice around you like a warm blanket on a cool winter's night.”

“Joanne Shenandoah is one of the finest attributes to Native American Music and Culture,” Neil Young stated about Shenandoah on her website.

She is also a humanitarian and considered an “Ambassador of Peace” bringing audiences together from all over the world - every race, religion and age.

As a peace advocate, Shenandoah has captured the hearts of audiences all over the world. She has received multiple awards and praise for her work to promote universal peace and understanding, and she is a direct descendant of the famed “Chief Shenandoah” who is noted to have been given a “Peace Medal” by George Washington and established Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. (The Oneida Academy).

Shenandoah is a founding board member of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, a non-profit higher learning educational facility that is based on Iroquois principles.

In addition, Shenandoah served as Co-Chair for the Attorney General’s National Task Force of Children Exposed to Violence for the Department of Justice in 2014.

She has performed for noted leaders such as the Dali Lama, Nelson Mandela, Huston Smith, and Mikhail Gorbachev, and has performed at prestigious events at venues such as St. Peter’s Basilica, The White House, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Bethlehem Fine Arts Center, Crystal Bridges Museum, Smithsonian museums, The Ordway Theater, Hummingbird Centre, Toronto Skydome, The Parliament of the Worlds Religions, (Africa, Spain and Australia). She also performed at Woodstock in 1994 as well as at five presidential inaugurations.

Tickets for Shenandoah and upcoming Arts & Issues tickets performances can be ordered on-line at artsandissues.com or in-person at the Morris University Center (MUC) Welcome Desk. The MUC Welcome Desk is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. The Welcome Desk is closed on Sunday. To place your order by phone call 1-866-698-4253.